Demon (5)
Demon (5)
I had no strength left in my body. I collapsed from the exhaustion that comes after using up all my mana. On top of that, wearing multiple masks caused a severe backlash.
It was fortunate that Mad Dog attacked with nothing but brute force at the end. I could parry it.
I looked at the spot where Mad Dog had been. His corpse was gone, and something like burnt ash remained in its place.
When Demon-humans die, they don't leave a corpse behind; they turn into ash like that.
I glanced around. The club room was a complete mess. Exercise equipment was scattered everywhere, and half the facilities were half-destroyed. The window side was completely blown open due to the aftermath of the fight between Yoon Chae-rin and Mad Dog. I felt a bit sorry.
I looked up at the ceiling. The phenomenon where space seemed to ripple had disappeared. It must have gone to report to its master. I heard murmurs from all around. Students would be here soon.
I tried to get up but hesitated. Han Jong-woo was sitting arrogantly on some debris, pretending to be composed despite his bluish skin. In other words, he was acting like a total douche.
"Hey."
"......What."
When I opened my mouth while looking at Han Jong-woo, he reacted slowly. He looked in worse shape than I thought.
I took off my necklace and threw it. The thrown necklace landed right on Han Jong-woo's neck. Seeing him unable to even react, he must have been really exhausted. Perhaps due to the Poison Resistance on the necklace, his complexion looked a bit more comfortable.
"......Thanks."
"I'm not giving it to you, I'm lending it to you."
"......O-of course. I know."
The delay in his response bothered me.
I scrambled to my feet. From the blown-open side, I saw Yoon Seung-ha riding a wind spirit. His eyes were deeper, and his aura had changed. It was proof that he had successfully acquired the skill.
"Is everyone okay?"
"I guess it's fortunate we didn't die."
Yoon Chae-rin sighed and said. That statement was wrong from the start. If it had been more dangerous, others would have intervened. Grande Hill is here, but above all, this is the principal's backyard. She was probably watching the fight right now.
"Eh, this is fine."
"True. I see you in a new light."
"...Me?"
"Yeah. You fought well. Especially your technique using 'softness to overcome hardness' at the end was amazing. The way you deflected that bastard's arm with your sword and cut his throat was pretty badass."
"Siwoo's technique is indeed good."
Im Na-yeon chimed in at Yoon Chae-rin's words. That sounded a bit strange. For some reason, Eun Sua looked proud.
Why are you guys feeling proud? I looked at them, puzzled.
I recalled the events after this. The school would go into emergency mode due to the Demon-human infiltration, and while the school was locked down for a week, the protagonists would train or go somewhere to hang out. However, the midterm exam period was coming up soon. There was still more than two weeks until midterms, but I didn't think they would take a week off before midterms.
I brushed off my clothes. I approached Ash, who had been turned into a pile of ash after I cut his throat earlier. I picked up a half-burnt rod-like object nearby and poked the pile of ash. I was reluctant to touch the ashes with my hands.
After rummaging through the ashes a few times, something caught on. I used the rod to nudge it and pulled out the caught item. There was a cell phone inside the ashes. I looked at the phone.
"......Hmm."
I picked it up and put it in my pocket.
"What's with the phone?"
Yoon Seung-ha asked from the side. Before I knew it, everyone's eyes were on me.
"Did you forget why we were fighting?"
"......Ah."
At my words, Yoon Seung-ha looked like he realized it. The Hypnosis App. We fought because of the phone that had this installed.
"Hypnosis App?"
Yoon Chae-rin asked, walking towards me. I nodded and put it in my pocket.
"What, why are you taking that? Are you going to use it? Is there a girl you're interested in? Like a girl you want to force yourself on just so you can use it?"
Yoon Chae-rin poked my waist with her elbow and said with a meaningful smile. When she said that, the people around us reacted. Im Na-yeon looked at me with trembling eyes, and Eun Sua and Yoon Seung-ha flinched for a moment.
"I have to submit it. I'm keeping it so no one else can use it."
"You're not going to use it?"
I shook my head. Using the Hypnosis App has the merit of being able to control others at will, but the downsides are worse. If you use it wrong, you could die.
And I don't want to die.
"I have no intention of using it. It could be a trap, like making a deal with the devil."
"...That's true."
Yoon Chae-rin walked away, looking like she lost interest. I followed her. I could hear footsteps and chatter from everywhere.
I hate being bothered.
Space rippled like waves in the empty air. A woman in a maid outfit with gray hair tied up appeared. Grande Hill looked around. Students were running around everywhere.
They were startled by the explosion, but each of them grabbed their weapons and headed toward the source of the explosion.
Even though the students around her passed right by, they didn't notice her presence.
"Grande Hill-nim?"
She turned her head at the rough shout. First, a purple light caught her eye. Song Rahui, the witch who received the purple title meaning 'Destruction of Magic' from the Ivory Tower. She spoke while armed with a long staff embedded with a purple jewel that boasted a size similar to her face.
"You heard the explosion earlier, right? Did a Demon-human that attacked Professor Kang Han-ja appear?"
"Yes, it has already been resolved."
"Where on earth is... you resolved it? Who on earth did it?"
When she asked back in a dazed voice, she answered calmly.
"The students handled it. They happened to be there. Yoon Seung-ha, Yoon Chae-rin, Eun Sua, Han Jong-woo, Im Na-yeon...."
"A Demon-human of the Middle Assault level, with just 6 first-year students...?"
She asked back with a dazed expression. Song Rahui soon said "Ah," then "Thank you," and bowed her head. Then she disappeared, creating a purple radiance.
Grande Hill thought about Song Rahui for a moment. It was obvious she was interested in Professor Kang Han-ja. But wasn't Professor Kang Han-ja married? Well, it's none of her business. Grande Hill walked quietly to her master.
Kkiiik.
As she approached, the door opened by itself. She looked at the Queen sitting quietly in the center.
Shining green hair and green eyes. It was the manifestation of an ability. A special ability that only the Fairy Queen, known as the owner of the World Tree, could use.
She looked at her with noble eyes that could pierce through The Principles.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"No, it's only natural."
Grande Hill said, bowing her head quietly. Titania smiled slightly at that.
"How was that child?"
"I don't know."
Grande Hill answered Titania's question. She didn't know. At first, he just looked like a smart student, but seeing him again today, he had grown unbelievably. Children at that age grow quickly, but the student named Lee Si-woo had a different pace altogether. And the ability he used was strange. It was as if.
"I suppose so. He looks ordinary on the outside."
Titania muttered that and recalled. It wasn't the first time. There were a few beings that even her eyes couldn't pierce through.
'However, those targets.'
They were very limited. Even if you searched the whole world, it wouldn't exceed one hand. That was what it meant for her eyes to be unable to pierce through something. Her ability, which she had honed for over 800 years.
How shocked she was when she first realized that.
So she observed him carefully. Even keeping him as one of the few scholarship students. But the more she looked, the less she knew.
Like a scene covered in fog on a dark night, something was interfering.
He possessed a tremendous ability. Although the person himself didn't seem to know that ability properly.
"Queen-nim."
Titania broke from her thoughts at Grande Hill's quiet call. The mana using the ability dispersed, and her hair returned to its golden color again.
"I have something to report."
Grande Hill opened her mouth.
"This is getting interesting."
Titania, having heard the report, muttered and raised the corners of her mouth.
On the way to the dormitory. I sat on a bench under a tree-lined street.
I took out Ash's phone. When I turned it on, the wallpaper appeared. There was no password. There were various apps on the phone.
Uung. The phone vibrated, and a notification that a KakaoTalk message had arrived rang.
I secretly opened KakaoTalk.
I felt like I was committing a crime. It is a criminal act, but wouldn't it be okay if I could catch more Demon-humans through KakaoTalk?
Starting with Ho-dong and Kang Han-ja, there were group chats where only professors gathered. There were quite a lot of chat rooms. I checked the chat with Kim Ho-dong.
[Kim Ho-dong]
[Professor]
[Since you said you don't remember, Professor, I'll say it again.]
[I like you, Professor.]
.
.
.
[Why are you like this....... You're not someone who lacks awareness.]
[Kang Han-ja]
[Professor Kim. I happened to get two theater tickets for 'Still Living' from a friend, so.......]
"......."
It feels like I've seen an abyss I shouldn't have peeked into.
I kept scrolling down the chat. Strangely, Ash was a man, but he had many men hitting on him. Even if his appearance was pretty, I know they're almost all men, so why.......
There was nothing to gain from scrolling down the chat. Is what's left text messages? There were various spam messages. There were no conversations with private individuals. Then again, who uses text messages these days.......
[Kim Woo-jin]
[Ash-nim, I found that person.]
It was a familiar person. I saw the man I had previously requested Kim Ho-dong to look into. I scanned the text.
That person.
Did he already find Kim Si-yeon? But there's still a month left before the incident happens, right?
I thought quietly. Should I send a text pretending to be Ash now?
The incident wasn't as big as I thought. It ended much more quietly than the attack incident where 10% of the students died, 2 professors died, and the auditorium was half-destroyed. The only casualties were Demon-humans. It seemed like the Academy would handle it quietly. But there were more than one or two people who witnessed it. Students could take pictures and post them on the internet.
Just as I was wondering what to do.
Uung.
A text message came to my phone. When I checked, it was a text saying that next week's Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were changed to days off.